Resort Thread Walt Disney World SWAN, DOLPHIN & SWAN RESERVE Resorts

[emilyindisney]

Hi all! I was pricing out the Dolphin for a November 2016 trip and was surprised to see that it was over $300 a night! I always thought one of the draws of these resorts was that they were 'deluxe' at 'moderate' prices- is there something I'm missing, or am I misunderstood? Full disclosure- my dates are 11/3 to 11/8 of 2016 which falls during Food and Wine and the Wine and Dine Half marathon. Is this price to be expected for all the happenings? Is it true that these resorts offer AAA and/or Nurse discounts? Thanks!

 

[Clare Voince]

It depends on the time of year you are traveling, and prices drop when you get closer to the travel dates. You won't see the discounts a year out. Best deal I ever saw was when I booked 3 weeks ahead of time in September.

 

[KonaKaiTom]

Hi all! I was pricing out the Dolphin for a November 2016 trip and was surprised to see that it was over $300 a night! I always thought one of the draws of these resorts was that they were 'deluxe' at 'moderate' prices- is there something I'm missing, or am I misunderstood? Full disclosure- my dates are 11/3 to 11/8 of 2016 which falls during Food and Wine and the Wine and Dine Half marathon. Is this price to be expected for all the happenings? Is it true that these resorts offer AAA and/or Nurse discounts? Thanks!

As PP noted, they don't discount until they have to. You will be happy to note that we were just at the Dolphin for F&W, had a great AAA discount, AND were upgraded to the top floor, lake view, for the price of a moderate!

Tom

 

[emilyindisney]

As PP noted, they don't discount until they have to. You will be happy to note that we were just at the Dolphin for F&W, had a great AAA discount, AND were upgraded to the top floor, lake view, for the price of a moderate!

Tom

Sounds like I'll have to be patient and keep my eyes peeled. Thanks for the info!

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

Hi! New to the thread - we are staying at the Swan for the first time this month. We booked the trip just a couple of weeks ago so I'm scrambling a bit to get up-to-speed!

I was able to snag a pre-park opening breakfast ADR at Be Our Guest but I have a question about getting there via bus. I noticed in the intro post it says that buses begin running 1 hour prior to park opening. Do the buses run any earlier than that for those needing to get to MK for early dining reservations? Thanks for any help!

 

[Dan Murphy]

Hi! New to the thread - we are staying at the Swan for the first time this month. We booked the trip just a couple of weeks ago so I'm scrambling a bit to get up-to-speed!

I was able to snag a pre-park opening breakfast ADR at Be Our Guest but I have a question about getting there via bus. I noticed in the intro post it says that buses begin running 1 hour prior to park opening. Do the buses run any earlier than that for those needing to get to MK for early dining reservations? Thanks for any help!

Buses start running at 6:30, mostly for early morning DR's. Earlier if there are unusually early park openings.

I will have to change that in the OP. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

Buses start running at 6:30, mostly for early morning DR's. Earlier if there are unusually early park openings.

I will have to change that in the OP. Thanks for the heads up.

Thank you so much for responding! Glad to hear that the buses run early so we can get there in time .

 

[RachelTori]

Thank you so much for responding! Glad to hear that the buses run early so we can get there in time .

An additional bit of bus information: Swan & Dolphin share with Boardwalk.

 

[dansdad]

An additional bit of bus information: Swan & Dolphin share with Boardwalk.

Actually that changed about 3-4 weeks ago. YC/BC, Boardwalk and Swan/Dolphin now each have their own.

 

[Tess]

Actually that changed about 3-4 weeks ago. YC/BC, Boardwalk and Swan/Dolphin now each have their own.

I think that only applies to the MK bus--it is a dedicated bus for BWI/BWV based upon our experience when it was put into effect. The AK bus is still (or was in October) shared with Swan/Dolphin along with the Disney Springs/Water Park buses. I could be wrong and the plan may have changed since October--Disney is good at that!

 

[dansdad]

I think that only applies to the MK bus--it is a dedicated bus for BWI/BWV based upon our experience when it was put into effect. The AK bus is still (or was in October) shared with Swan/Dolphin along with the Disney Springs/Water Park buses. I could be wrong and the plan may have changed since October--Disney is good at that!

I think you may be right. Now that I think about it my friend that stayed at BWI and gave me that information did not go to Animal Kingdom during their trip. They only took buses to MK as they walked to Epcot and HS. So that makes sense. Thanks for clarifying.

 

[JulieODC]

Thanks to all for the helpful info in this thread! We are currently planning our first visit to either the Swan or Dolphin, and the info here is so helpful.

My husband has been doing lots of work travel lately, and has been getting a fair amount of SPG points. He's a little over 10,000 now, so we should get one night for free (or our 3 night stay). Between now and our trip, there's a decent chance he could hit the 20,000 point level. I'm trying to decide how to book --- anyone have thoughts on whether we should go ahead and book now, taking 1 free night and paying for the other 2, and if he gets another 10,000 points accumulated, go back and re-book? Or, should we hold off and book closer to our arrival dates?

We're looking at Feb 29-Mar 3.

 

[JulieODC]

Thanks to all for the helpful info in this thread! We are currently planning our first visit to either the Swan or Dolphin, and the info here is so helpful.

My husband has been doing lots of work travel lately, and has been getting a fair amount of SPG points. He's a little over 10,000 now, so we should get one night for free (or our 3 night stay). Between now and our trip, there's a decent chance he could hit the 20,000 point level. I'm trying to decide how to book --- anyone have thoughts on whether we should go ahead and book now

 

[Babsy]

I know that you can't contact the WDW resorts by telephone, but can you call the Swan directly and speak to someone at the front desk? If so, what is the tel # please?

Thank you!

 

[dansdad]

I know that you can't contact the WDW resorts by telephone, but can you call the Swan directly and speak to someone at the front desk? If so, what is the tel # please?

Thank you!

Yes you can. The numbers in post #1 of this thread are correct.

The Walt Disney World Dolphin
(407) 934-4000


The Walt Disney World Swan
(407) 934-3000

 

[Babsy]

Thank you!

 

[lillygator]

what is the best and cheapest way to book? if they offer a discount at a later date and you have already booked, will they lower the rate?

 

[Donald - my hero]

We managed to snag an amazing deal that includes RT airfare for both of us from Toronto and a week at the Dolphin and can't wait to go! I have a couple of questions that i can't seem to find answers to ... are there coffee makers in the rooms and if so what type. Hubby can NOT function for an hour after his 1st cup and if there isn't one we'll need to drag along the french press and some way to heat the water. Also my coffee snob will want a "real mug", so will that need to be tucked into the suitcase as well? Will we be able to add our Starwood # even if we booked through Travelocity? Will we be able to buy bottled water anywhere within either hotel or need to wander a bit farther (hubby can't even brush his teeth with "strange water" if we want his tummy to stay on track TMI)

Thanks for an amazing thread, I've read the entire thing and if possible, I'm even more stoked!

 

[luvmy3boyz]

We managed to snag an amazing deal that includes RT airfare for both of us from Toronto and a week at the Dolphin and can't wait to go! I have a couple of questions that i can't seem to find answers to ... are there coffee makers in the rooms and if so what type. Hubby can NOT function for an hour after his 1st cup and if there isn't one we'll need to drag along the french press and some way to heat the water. Also my coffee snob will want a "real mug", so will that need to be tucked into the suitcase as well? Will we be able to add our Starwood # even if we booked through Travelocity? Will we be able to buy bottled water anywhere within either hotel or need to wander a bit farther (hubby can't even brush his teeth with "strange water" if we want his tummy to stay on track TMI)

Thanks for an amazing thread, I've read the entire thing and if possible, I'm even more stoked!

We are checking out today after a wonderful week here at the Dolphin.

The coffee make is a Mr. Coffee single serve coffee maker. They provide Pike Place coffee and also disposable cups with lids. No mugs. They have packets with sugar, sweetener, and the powdered creamer. My husband used it all week with no issues. They also provide tea bags - we bring our own small electric kettle for that. You get two bottles of Dasani water every day, and there are also places in the hotel to buy bottled water. Hope you have a great tirip!

 

[Dan Murphy]

The Starbucks coffee is great. And if you want more than is set out for you, typically 3 regular and 1 decaf, you can ask housekeeping for as many as you want. I use decaf and always have 5 or 6 pods in the room. If you are looking for lots of water, the Speedway gas station is not too far, across from the Boardwalk resort, but I myself would not want to lug water from there. The tap water in the hotel itself is fine. It is not like the water in the parks.